You know you're obsessed when...

SmartAlex · June 2, 2011

...you find an ailing tomato plant at morning garden check, and it ruins your whole day.

Sure, I can probably get a replacement, or I can just yank it out and leave a **gasp** empty space...

I think I need my head checked.

b54red · June 2, 2011

Don't feel too bad. I'll beat you to the nut house. I've already replaced over 30 plants and it is just the beginning of a long growing season.

Mudman · June 2, 2011

I couldn't fall asleep last night so I started counting the vegetables in my garden from memory. I didn't even get to the tomatoes before I fell asleep but that is fine because I already know the stats (44 plants, 20 varieties, 7 red, 3 pink, 2 yellow, 3 bi-color...).

SmartAlex · June 2, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Don't feel too bad. I'll beat you to the nut house. I've already replaced over 30 plants and it is just the beginning of a long growing season.

Lordy, if I had your numbers I'd be in a padded cell.

The night I found slugs on my cuccumbers, I couldn't sleep. Last night, for no reason at all, I was up for hours, so I started reading gardening books. When I fell asleep at 4 am I was dreaming of State Fairs, and calves and haying. It was a lot of work. I'm sleepy today!

This darn tomato appears to be damping off at the soil line. I've never had one this big (pencil thickness) damp off. ?!? Of course, yesterdays high winds could have damaged it too. Oh the worry!

kath · June 2, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmartAlex

...you find an ailing tomato plant at morning garden check, and it ruins your whole day.

Sure, I can probably get a replacement, or I can just yank it out and leave a **gasp** empty space...

I think I need my head checked.

What do you mean, "Leave an empty space..."- you mean you're actually considering this as an option?!

SmartAlex · June 2, 2011

Good Lord you're right! I DO need my head examined.

ddsack · June 2, 2011

Alex, try spraying the tomato stem with hydrogen peroxide at the soil line around the damping off area. I have no idea if this works, but last year I had a fairly large tomato plant do this. I kept thinking it was going to keel over, but despite over half of it's stem shrinking and drying up, it managed to ripen some tomatoes and hung in there for a long time, even though it went limp on hot sunny days and needless to say never grew or produced up to it's potential.

That said, it 's early enough in the season, so that you might want to pull it (and maybe remove some of the old soil in the hole) and put in a new healthy plant. Over the years, I've had one bed in which this tends to happen. Almost in the same place. It's a little more shady and gets sun later in the day. Be sure to pull away any mulch that might be touching the stem so it gets good air circulation.

SmartAlex · June 2, 2011

Thanks for the tip. I'll try the hydrogen peroxide tonight. It was still upright although a little pale. It's on the south end of a raised bed with 10 hours of sun and I haven't mulched or side dressed yet so I was really suprised. It was HOT and very windy all day yesterday so any shriveling and crumpling it was thinking of doing got accelerated.

I was thinking I'd scoop it out of there, but I'll give it a chance first.

piegirl · June 2, 2011

You only wear red, orange, black, navy polo type shirts in the garden because the tomato stains and any foliage marks don't show as much. Piegirl

b54red · June 3, 2011

I prefer white tee shirts or other light colors so everyone can tell where I've been. After they are washed and the stains remain then I just look for the uniquely tomato tie dye pattern on the front to know what to wear when in the garden. My problem is I'm starting to have too many gardening clothes and almost nothing to wear elsewhere.

erlyberd · June 4, 2011

You know your a tomato redneck when....you pre-warm your irrigation water...when your plants are taller than your kids (in May)....you want to recycle the plastic IV drip tubing for a DIY watering system....you use recycled ace bandage for mato ties....Yep

brokenbar · June 4, 2011

You make a special "stick" that has increments of one inch so you can measure how tall your tomato plant(s) gets (so who really cares how tall it gets anyway??? Apparently, I do...

)

You drive everyone you know crazy asking them to save 1 gallon milk jugs that you can cut the bottom off of and use for tomato plant houses in early spring...

I got yelled at at the county dump for rescuing some milk jugs...bummer...

You feed the rabbits sweet feed so that they will leave your garden alone (it really does work...they get hooked on their own special brand of granola.)

You won't go ANYWHERE during gardening season because only you can take care of the garden properly (and so what ... it's true...)

ABSOLUTELY cannot, will not drive by a garden center without stopping...even in August...

Place bets with your spouse over who will have the first ripe tomato (He ALWAYS wins because he grows STUPID cherry tomatoes and "early" tastes-like- crapola tomatoes. whereas I grow the "good" tomatoes that are worth waiting for!)

Shout and carry on like you won the lottery when you see they have:
A.) Fertilizer
B.) Potting soil
C.) Fluorescent lights
D.) Gardening tools

On Sale!!!

I have a theory that the gardening addiction keeps many "would be" borderline psychotics entertained and diverted (and I include myself in that description...)
So we are performing a public service by being obsessed with gardening and none of those #@*&%#&*^ better ever forget it!!!!

Alpinejs · July 18, 2011

You know you are obsessed when....

you ask your tomato plants to join in on your singing with four part harmony.

When you find yourself flicking the blossums on dandylions.

When you loudly yell out "outrage!!" in the produce dept. of your local super ;market
in front of what they call tomatoes.

When the recipients of your e-mail pictures of your 'maters start requesting pictures of
your kids and asking if they have grown in the past couple years.

When you send thank you letters to the soy sauce co. for shipping their restraunt soy
sauce in 5 gallon buckets.

June 2, 2011	#1
SmartAlex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Western NY Posts: 38	You know you're obsessed when... ...you find an ailing tomato plant at morning garden check, and it ruins your whole day. Sure, I can probably get a replacement, or I can just yank it out and leave a gasp empty space... I think I need my head checked.

June 2, 2011	#3
Mudman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NW Wisconsin Posts: 910	I couldn't fall asleep last night so I started counting the vegetables in my garden from memory. I didn't even get to the tomatoes before I fell asleep but that is fine because I already know the stats (44 plants, 20 varieties, 7 red, 3 pink, 2 yellow, 3 bi-color...). __________________ Mike Last edited by Mudman; June 7, 2011 at 04:37 PM. Reason: clarity

June 2, 2011	#7
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Alex, try spraying the tomato stem with hydrogen peroxide at the soil line around the damping off area. I have no idea if this works, but last year I had a fairly large tomato plant do this. I kept thinking it was going to keel over, but despite over half of it's stem shrinking and drying up, it managed to ripen some tomatoes and hung in there for a long time, even though it went limp on hot sunny days and needless to say never grew or produced up to it's potential. That said, it 's early enough in the season, so that you might want to pull it (and maybe remove some of the old soil in the hole) and put in a new healthy plant. Over the years, I've had one bed in which this tends to happen. Almost in the same place. It's a little more shady and gets sun later in the day. Be sure to pull away any mulch that might be touching the stem so it gets good air circulation. __________________ Dee **************

June 4, 2011	#12
brokenbar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Of The Border Posts: 1,169	You make a special "stick" that has increments of one inch so you can measure how tall your tomato plant(s) gets (so who really cares how tall it gets anyway??? Apparently, I do...) You drive everyone you know crazy asking them to save 1 gallon milk jugs that you can cut the bottom off of and use for tomato plant houses in early spring... I got yelled at at the county dump for rescuing some milk jugs...bummer... You feed the rabbits sweet feed so that they will leave your garden alone (it really does work...they get hooked on their own special brand of granola.) You won't go ANYWHERE during gardening season because only you can take care of the garden properly (and so what ... it's true...) ABSOLUTELY cannot, will not drive by a garden center without stopping...even in August... Place bets with your spouse over who will have the first ripe tomato (He ALWAYS wins because he grows STUPID cherry tomatoes and "early" tastes-like- crapola tomatoes. whereas I grow the "good" tomatoes that are worth waiting for!) Shout and carry on like you won the lottery when you see they have: A.) Fertilizer B.) Potting soil C.) Fluorescent lights D.) Gardening tools On Sale!!! I have a theory that the gardening addiction keeps many "would be" borderline psychotics entertained and diverted (and I include myself in that description...) So we are performing a public service by being obsessed with gardening and none of those #@&%#&^ better ever forget it!!!! __________________ "If I'm not getting dirty, I'm not having a good time."

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June 2, 2011	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Don't feel too bad. I'll beat you to the nut house. I've already replaced over 30 plants and it is just the beginning of a long growing season.

June 2, 2011	#9
piegirl Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 791	You only wear red, orange, black, navy polo type shirts in the garden because the tomato stains and any foliage marks don't show as much. Piegirl

June 3, 2011	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I prefer white tee shirts or other light colors so everyone can tell where I've been. After they are washed and the stains remain then I just look for the uniquely tomato tie dye pattern on the front to know what to wear when in the garden. My problem is I'm starting to have too many gardening clothes and almost nothing to wear elsewhere.

June 4, 2011	#11
erlyberd Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: CT Zone 5 Posts: 186	You know your a tomato redneck when....you pre-warm your irrigation water...when your plants are taller than your kids (in May)....you want to recycle the plastic IV drip tubing for a DIY watering system....you use recycled ace bandage for mato ties....Yep

July 18, 2011	#13
Alpinejs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Alpine, Calif. in winter. Sandpoint Lake, Ont. Canada summers Posts: 850	You know you are obsessed when.... you ask your tomato plants to join in on your singing with four part harmony. When you find yourself flicking the blossums on dandylions. When you loudly yell out "outrage!!" in the produce dept. of your local super ;market in front of what they call tomatoes. When the recipients of your e-mail pictures of your 'maters start requesting pictures of your kids and asking if they have grown in the past couple years. When you send thank you letters to the soy sauce co. for shipping their restraunt soy sauce in 5 gallon buckets.